On 10/24/06, Andrea wrote: > Hello, My ten year old Alexandrine Ringneck will not eat > when I'm not home. He then is happy when he sees me and > still won't settle down to eat. He then eats a little > around 10:30 when I turn down the lights for bedtime. In > the morning as I get ready for work, he's hungry and eats a > little. I'm worried about my baby. Is there any way to > unlearn this behavior?

My birds don't eat much when I am not home either. Birds are flock animals that like to eat with their flock which in this case is you. You could try playing a bird video when you are not there to give him an extended flock. Steve Hartman created one that my birds enjoy. It's called The Bird Sitter. You can order it at hartmanaviary.com among other places. Maybe when you are home you could make sure you let him see you eat. It might encourage him to eat more often. Also, birds love to eat fresh foods and have a bite or two of what we are eating. Has he always eaten like this? If you think he is acting different or looking thinner you may want to seriously consider getting him to an avian vet for a checkup. Let us know how he is doing.